From Yearbook Editor to College Student

I was talked into joining yearbook my sophomore year of high school after realizing I was not Michael Jordan—my dream of a basketball career was heading out the window. I had never designed a single spreadsheet or photographed a senior portrait in my life, but I was excited to start something new. (Plus someone told me the whole staff gets to travel around the country, and who doesn’t love to travel?) Diving into yearbook taught and surprised me with life skills I still use in college.

Social Skills

I never considered myself a social butterfly. My friends were my teammates and my mom was the one who knew all the chisme, or gossip. Talking on the phone made me as nervous as giving a speech on live television.

Yearbook forced me to overcome all that awkwardness. I had to ask people to come in for face-to-face interviews, I invaded students’ privacy with a camera in their face, and I got over my fear of public speaking. Coming out of my shell took some time. After my adviser appointed me coeditor-in-chief, I learned more skills than just how to talk to people—I learned how to be a leader. I was able to manage a staff to the point of winning first place for the National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA) Best of Show award two years in a row. These skills have helped me land student leader positions my first year of college. I am now a resident assistant, an orientation team leader, and I know nearly everyone who lives on campus.

Technical Skills

You didn’t think winning first place was easy, did you? I learned the tips and tricks of Adobe Photoshop and InDesign after two years of sobbing in front of a computer screen because I forgot to save my latest design. Knowing the little things like how many picas are in an inch, or the rule of thirds has helped me get to where I am today.

During my time in high school I was able to use my new technical skills working at a local photography studio. In college I continue to use my skills for photographing events and adventures, designing Snapchat Geofilters, and being hired in the Marketing and Communications department here at Notre Dame de Namur University.

How to Work Hard

Being apart of the yerd (yearbook nerd) community, I discovered what it means to work hard. I spent countless days in the yearbook room working on designs and editing photos only to go home and study for a final the next day or go to work. Deadlines and events came whether I was ready or not. Finding the time, motivation, and most efficient way to do things was always a struggle.

In college, I’ve also had to deal with time management challenges. Assignment due dates are in the syllabus, but actually reading it is another story. Studying until 3:00 a.m. for an 8:00 a.m. exam is the worst idea, but it always happens. Balancing school, work, club involvement, a social life, and being a resident assistant is hard, but it’s nothing I can’t manage. Becoming a hard worker is something I developed in yearbook with time management and motivation, but it’s something I still continue to work on.

Joscelyn Q. Pardo is a student worker in Marketing and Communications at Notre Dame de Namur University and a sophomore majoring in psychology. In high school, she coedited the yearbook at James C. Enochs High School in Modesto, California.

For more information on applying to Notre Dame de Namur University (NDNU), please visit the admissions page.